South Africa passes ‘grim milestone’ after extreme heat kills off birds, bats
23 Apr 2021
While this was the first such event recorded for southern Africa, extreme heatwave events like this are already common in Australia. (David Mercado/Reuters)
It was an extremely hot day on 8 November last year in northern KwaZulu-Natal so hot that it killed at least 110 birds and fruit bats. Staff at the Phongolo Nature Reserve found large numbers of dead and dying birds, mostly songbirds, around the reserve’s headquarters, while Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bats were found dead in Pongola itself and Hluhluwe.
On 1 December, the
Mail & Guardianreported how dozens of birds and bats perished on that scorching day when temperatures reached an unusual 40°C by 10am and climbed to a searing 45°C.